Olympic Valley, Calif. — In the automotive world, there are very few vehicles that have adhered to the original design intent more than the Jeep Wrangler. For 70 years, it has been one thing — an off-road icon. Yes, it has been nipped and tucked to keep it contemporary; hsowever, it has remained totally focused. Perhaps only the Porsche 911 has stuck to its roots quite as fervently. For 2013, there are some welcome changes, all of which are aimed at making it more comfortable without softening its ability.

The Wrangler Sport S is powered by the company’s 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 engine. It is a great motivator that delivers 285 horsepower and, more importantly, 260 pound-feet of torque. It is also smooth and refined even when worked in the upper reaches of the rev range, which is a marked departure from the previous six. It also delivers significantly better fuel economy than the previous engine — it is now rated at 12.6 and 9.5 litres per 100 kilometres city/highway when teamed with the automatic transmission. That is an improvement of 1.6 and 0.5 L/100 km, respectively.

The tester’s power was relayed to the road through a five-speed automatic transmission and a four-wheel-drive system. The latter really is only for use on a slippery surface or when off-road. That stated, the Wrangler remains one of the best when the trail shifts from cottage access-like to something resembling the famed Rubicon Trail. This is one of the few stock vehicles, as in no lift kit or oversized tires, that can make it from one end of the Trail to the other without leaving bits of the undercarriage along the way. Technically, the Sport S uses a Dana 30 front axle, Dana 44 rear axle and Jeep’s Command-Trac two-speed transfer case. The part-time system features two-wheel-drive high, four-wheel-drive high, neutral and four-low with a 2.72:1 ratio.

The combined effects of the torquey V6 and the torque multiplication provided by the low-range gearing allowed the Wrangler to climb impossibly steep grades without so much as breaking a sweat. At the start of one climb, I thought ‘No way!’ The Wrangler ambled up the grade with two passengers aboard at a little over half throttle! Throw in the unrivalled approach (43.8 degrees) and departure (40.3 degrees) angles along with the 262 millimetres of ground clearance that comes with the P255/75R17 tires and you have a seriously capable vehicle.

The other pleasant surprise was found in the ride and handling. I remembered the Wrangler as being a somewhat choppy beast because of its truncated wheelbase. It was also prone to allowing the body to roll like a boat in a force nine gale. The 2013 Wrangler Sport has a refined ride and the amount of roll proved to be significantly less than I expected. Yes, there is some lean in a corner and the steering is a tad vague primarily because of the tires and what it has to accomplish off-road, but in the end, the Wrangler Sport handled admirably. The ride comfort was also significantly better than I remembered. Even on a gnarly gravel road, it soaked up all but the worst potholes in stride.

Inside, the Wrangler speaks to its rugged intent but with a softer side — the quality materials and, more importantly, the redesigned front seats now deliver bolder bolstering and much better comfort. The driver’s seat is height adjustable and the steering tilts, which means the correct driving position is readily established — an important consideration when off-road. The ability to remove the doors means the controls for the power mirrors and windows reside in the centre stack, which is not the most intuitive. As for options, there are two important ones. The first is the audio upgrade. The stock unit has a pretty thin sound; however, adding six Alpine speakers perks things up appreciably. Second, the connectivity package should be considered a must — it adds voice-activated Bluetooth and a trip computer.

As for the rest of it, the rear seat is useable, but it’s awkward to access and its trunk space is hampered by the need to unzip the rear backlight to free up the opening. Neither is a big deal — that’s where the Wrangler Unlimited comes into play! The Wrangler’s convertible top is a bit cantankerous in as much as it involves unzipping the side windows, rolling up or removing the backlight, then unlatching the front header and folding the lot back. For the novice (me), it took a while, but for the initiated, it can be removed and reinstalled in five minutes. Likewise, removing the doors and, if wanted, dropping the front windshield down so it lies flat against the hood does take some work, but, once done, it delivers a pretty cool buggy.

Visit any showroom and the entire fleet of cars on display will cruise the highway at 120 km an hour. Only a very select few can do this and have the ability to tackle a truly gnarly trail with the same reassuring aplomb. The 2013 Wrangler Sport S is perfectly at home on-road and is an absolute standout in an off-road environment.